"Say what you mean and mean what you say"

Menu

Post navigation

Knight Fellowships for International Professional Journalists at Stanford University, USA

September 8, 2010
2011-12 Knight Fellowships for International Professional Journalists from outside the United States at Stanford University.

The Knight Fellowships awards up to nine fellowships each year to journalists from outside the United States who have already done first-rate work and who have the potential of great impact in journalism in their home countries. The program has revised its selection process to reflect a new emphasis on journalistic innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership, including an emphasis on developing and strengthening press freedoms around the world.

The overall goal for international fellows is the same as those from the U.S. – an engaged, informed public. We are paying special attention to countries where the obstacles to this goal may be more acute than in the U.S. because of government or other powerful forces opposed to free expression.

The program is seeking journalists from countries where the news media can work as a significant agent of change, both in nurturing a free press and fostering innovation. At the same time, we will continue to seek international journalists from countries with a more robust press, especially those who would focus on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Eligibility and Selection:

Applicants ideally will have at least five years of full-time professional experience, but applicants with less experience yet outstanding achievements will also be considered. There are no educational prerequisites. No college degree is required.

In general, applicants should be full-time journalists working for newspapers, wire services, television or radio news departments, Web sites, magazines covering news, commentary, or public affairs, and as full-time freelancers. Who do we consider to be eligible? Journalists who write or edit news, commentary, or editorials; critics and reviewers, photojournalists, editorial cartoonists and supervising editors, anchors, and producers.

In addition, journalism business and management executives whose work influences editorial quality, such as publishers, general managers, and station managers, are also eligible. So are entrepreneurs and innovators whose work or proposals have the potential for great journalistic impact.

Those working in public information or public relations jobs, for trade and house newsletters or magazines, for government agencies, or as teachers, are not eligible.

Fellows must agree to devote their energy during the year to the fellowship itself rather than to regular professional work, to spend the academic terms in residence at Stanford and to participate fully in fellowship seminars and activities. Further, Fellows who apply with the support of their news organizations agree to return to that organization.

All features of the fellowship program are identical to the U.S. Fellows. International Fellows, however, are financed separately by grants from a variety of sources, including the Fulbright program, the Knight Foundation, the Shin-young Journalism Fund, the Lyle and Corrine Nelson International Journalism Fellowship Fund and the Yahoo! International Journalism Fund.

In addition, the selection of International Fellows is designed to ensure that journalists from a wide range of countries and regions are represented, especially countries where a returning Knight Fellow could have a direct impact on the development of a free press and flow of information in their countries.

The Knight Fellowships program reserves one fellowship each year for a journalist from Latin America under special funding from the Knight Foundation. The program also reserves one fellowship each year, using special funding from Yahoo!, for a journalist from a country where there are restrictions on freedom of the press, either by governmental agencies or other forces.

Candidates write two essays: a statement of how they propose to spend their fellowship year and what they expect to have to show for it at the end, and a journalistic autobiography. Applicants who are employed (not freelancers or independent proprietors) must submit a letter from their employer endorsing their application and granting a leave of absence if chosen for a fellowship. Three letters of recommendation, including one from the applicant’s immediate supervisor, are required as well as work samples.

Applicants must be fluent in written and spoken English. All materials submitted must be in English. If samples of the applicant’s work are in another language, English translations must be provided.

Each application is evaluated by the Knight Fellowships staff, supplemented by Stanford faculty members and people outside the program who are knowledgeable about journalism issues in particular countries or regions.

How to Apply: International Fellows:

The international application deadline for the 2011-2012 academic year is Dec. 15, 2010. The application will be available in October 2010. The U.S. application deadline for the 2011-2012 academic year is Feb. 1, 2011.